Related Summaries

An 80% rate of complete remission was found for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who received anti-CD22 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell salvage therapy, according to a presentation at the American Society of Hematology meeting. A researcher reporting the results for 16 patients said the study team is considering how anti-CD22 CAR T-cell therapy would be combined with anti-CD19 treatment.

In an ongoing 20-patient trial, eight patients with treatment-resistant B-cell cancers who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplant remained in remission for up to 36 months following a single infusion of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-transduced T cells. The study included patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and patients from each group were responsive to treatment.

A study in the journal Cancer Cell found there are two subtypes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, based on the presence or absence of B-cell antigen receptor signaling. Researchers said a test for the BCL-6 protein, a biomarker for BCR signaling, is being used to identify patients for an early-stage clinical trial of drugs that target the B-cell antigen receptor.

The FDA has granted fast-track status to MorphoSys' monoclonal antibody drug MOR208 as a treatment for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The drug is also being tested in midstage trials against acute lymphoblastic B-cell leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.